The retired general and former NATO (news - web sites) commander said Saddam's capture was welcome news that could have an impact on the anti-coalition insurgency in Iraq (news - web sites).

"I hope this will see a diminishing in the violence against American soldiers in Iraq," he told reporters as he arrived in the Netherlands.

Clark did not say who should try Saddam, but said the trial should be conducted with "the highest legal standards. There can be absolutely no doubt about the rights of the accused."

The case "needs to be as public as possible and the evidence needs to be aired and charges brought," he said.

Clark, contesting for the Democratic nomination for president, declined to comment when asked how Saddam's capture could affect the race or the standings of President George W. Bush (news - web sites).

Clark was on his way to The Hague (news - web sites) where he has been summoned to testify in the war crimes trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic (news - web sites).

He was to appear in closed session before the U.N. tribunal Monday and Tuesday, but at the insistence of the U.S. government publication of his testimony was being delayed until Friday to allow it to be reviewed and edited of comments deemed compromising to U.S. national security.

As the former supreme commander of NATO, Clark led a 78-day bombing campaign in 1999 aimed at expelling Milosevic's Yugoslav forces involved in a bloody crackdown on ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

Clark also had extensive contacts with Milosevic when he served as director of strategy, plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the mid-1990s when the United States was trying to negotiate an end to the war in Bosnia.

Clark will get his "transparent trial". The thing will be all ovr the airwaves; and we will all get to hear first hand about his relation ship with Koffi, Chirac, Shroeder, and the Clintons. By the time this is over, Clark is going to regret his words. This is the end of the Democratic party in 2005. If nothing else, the trial will pre-empty, the coverage of their candidates.

12
posted on 12/14/2003 7:56:18 AM PST
by ARCADIA
(Abuse of power comes as no surprise)

The "fair and open tribunal' bit seems to be the talking point the Rats are converging on. Of course, what they really mean is they want Saddam tried in the Hague, where the French can lean on the judges to let Saddam get off with a slap on the wrist, if they don't outright acquit him. Then he can buy a giant palace somewhere in France and spend the rest of his life running the Iraqi resistance from it.

At any rate, the next task that the Leftists and the Eurinals will take on will be to try and delegitimize the war crimes tribunal the Iraqis just announced they are setting up. They'll claim that the Iraqi tribunal's just a tool of Haliburton and "BushCo", and that trying Saddam there would be a travesty.

We cannot let the UN try to pull some kind of jurisdiction crap with Saddam. Let Iraq try him. The UN let that lunatic rule for decades and looked the other way. This was our operation and our coalition.

If the Telegraph's right in its report that Iraq gave last-minute training to Atta, Saddam committed crimes that would justify trying him in the U.S. (presumably after trial in Iraq.) Iraq may have just gotten rid of the death penalty, but we haven't.

Lets be grateful his trial is NOT going to be in the U.S..If his trial were here he would get off with the help of a judge and countless appeals.The democraps and countless liberals would rush to his aid with every known excuse and they might even nominate him to run for president of their party!

WEST PALM BEACH-- Governor Dean issued the following statement this morning:

"This is a great day for the Iraqi people (who would still be under the ruthless leadership of Saddam had I been in power), the US, and the international community (but a horrible day for us terrorist-loving people).

"Our troops are to be congratulated on carrying out this (evil unprovoked) mission (quagmire) with the skill and dedication we have come to know of them."

"This development provides an enormous opportunity to set a new course (declare defeat) and take the American label off (Bush lable) the war. We must do everything possible to bring the UN, NATO, and other members of the international community (let the French be in charge) back into this effort.

"Now that the (Democratically-elected, peace-loving) dictator is captured (can we get this man freed before November?), we must also accelerate the transition from occupation to full Iraqi sovereignty."

40
posted on 12/14/2003 8:17:43 AM PST
by arasina
(What will YOU do when Howard Dean or Hillary Clinton is president?)

Wesley is such an idiot. A transparent trial during the summer would be the single most effective campaign commercial Bush could ask for, having the proof of Saddam's aggression against America and weapons laid right out possibly even coming from his own mouth would destroy the Democratic candidate by validating everything Bush has said for the last two years. We should all thank Wesley for giving Bush the opening to make this trial wide open without criticism.

41
posted on 12/14/2003 8:21:13 AM PST
by discostu
(that's a waste of a perfectly good white boy)

Clark did not say who should try Saddam, but said the trial should be conducted with "the highest legal standards. There can be absolutely no doubt about the rights of the accused." The case "needs to be as public as possible and the evidence needs to be aired and charges brought," he said.

BINGO! And it is now 11:07 CDT and I have yet to hear any official statement from the lovely miz Clinton! Many of the other important congress people have already made their official comments, including Howard Dean, Joe Biden, etc. Surely Hillary has SOMETHING to say?!?

48
posted on 12/14/2003 9:11:08 AM PST
by Maria S
("…the end is near…this time, Americans are serious; Bush is not like Clinton." Uday Hussein 4/9/03)

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